Continuous indicator for engines.



W. L. TR ILL. CONTINUOUS INDICATOR FOB. ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MABJI, 1911.

Patented June 4, 1912.

5 SHEETSSHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH C0,, WASHINGTON. D. c.

W. L. TRILL. commons INDICATOR FOR mamas. APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 11, 1911. 1,028,155, Patented June 4, 1912.

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W. L. TRILL.

commons mmcnoaron ENGINES.

APPLIOATIOH FILED MARJI, 1911.

Patented June 4, 1912.

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W. L. TRILL.

CONTINUOUS INDICATOR FOR ENGINES.

APPLICATION IILBIIMABMII, 1911.

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O). WITNESSES 0 0 I INVENTOR WMW M: wad/ g M' COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co, WASHINGTON. 0 c.

Patented June 4, 1912.

W'. L. TRILL. I CONTINUOUS INDICATOR FOR ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.11,1911.

Patented June 4, 1912.

v 5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

INVENTOR V Quill wrrNEssEs UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. TRILL, 0F COREY, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTINUOUS INDICATOR FOR ENGINES.

Application filed March 11, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. TRILL, a resident of Corry, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Continuous Indicators for Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved indicator. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line III- 111 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a partial sectional plan view on the line IVIV of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of the paper feeding mechanism driving gear. Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line VIVI of Fig. Fig. 7 is a similar view on the line VIIVII of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view illustrating one of the adjusting devices for the marking device. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the marking drum stop; and Fig. 10 is a plan view of a portion of the paper strip containing a plurality of diagrams made by one of the instruments.

My invention relates to improvements in engine indicators and it more particularly relates to continuous indicators, in the use of which a series of diagrams are successively recorded upon a roller or strip of paper.

The invention further relates to improvements by which indicator diagrams can be successively recorded upon a strip of paper of indefinite length.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved indicator which will record in a series of diagrams the successive strokes of an engine upon a continuous strip of paper, and in which all of the diagrams will be of the same length. Further in the provision of an indicator which is also adapted to be used so as to secure all of the results obtained with the ordinary short card indicator.

Another object of my invention is to provide a continuous indicator by which diagrams can be taken of any number of strokes of the engine or covering any desired interval of time.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for actuating the marking drum and paper feeding mechanism by which all lost motion is overcome, and which is so arranged that the same amount of paper is fed after each forward stroke of the engine.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4., 1912.

Serial No. 613,907.

A still further object of my invention is to provide means for throwing and holding the marking device in contact with the diagram sheet by means of an electromagnet, together with means for varying the pressure of the marker on said sheet.

The precise nature of my invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which will now be described, it being premised, however, that various changes may be made in thedetails of construction and general arrangement of parts, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings the numeral 2 designates the main support for the indicator.

3 is the pressure cylinder which is provided with the usual connect-ion 1 for connecting it to the cylinder of the engine. This pressure cylinder is connected to the frame 2 by means of the posts 5.

Connected to the support 2 by means of the screw 6 is an arm 7 on which is mounted the well known reducing gearing 8, having a cord 9 which is connected to the crosshead to the engine, and is actuated thereby, to in turn actuate a marking drum as hereinafter described. The reducing gear 8 comprises a plurality of drums of different sizes, which are interconnected by an actuating cord, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Mounted on the support 2 is a spindle 10, which is rigidly secured thereto by means of a thumb nut 11. Rotatably mounted on the spindle 10 is the marking drum 12. 13 is a spring casing which is rotatably mounted on this spindle below the marking drum 12, and 14 is a spring, one end of which is connected to the spring casing, the other end being connected to the marking drum by means of the screw post 15. The spring casing 13 is provided with a plurality of ratchet teeth arranged to be engaged by the pawl 16 to prevent the rotation of the spring casing with relation to the drum and supporting frame. This spring casing can be rotated about the spindle 10 to adjust the tension of the spring 1 said spring being arranged to return the drum to its initial position after it has been moved by the cross head of the engine, as hereinafter described.

17 is a projection extending downwardly from the bottom of the marking drum, which is arranged to engage the stop 18 connected to the frame 2 to limit the return movement of the drum.

The upper portion of the spindle 10 is turned down to form a seat 19, and mounted on the upper portion of this spindle, is a bushing 20 which is provided with a head 21. Loosely mounted between a nut 22 on the lower end of the bushing 20 and the head 21 is a gear wheel 23, which is provided wit-h an annular flange 24 which may be a part of said gear, or, which may be a separate member connected thereto, as illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. Loosely mounted Within this annular flange 24 are the clutch members 25, which are normally held in clutching engagement with the flange by means of the springs 26 connected to the head 21 of the sleeve. These clutch members are also engaged by the head 21, which is cut away at 27 to permit the gear wheel 23 to rotate about the clutch member when the gear wheel is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5. The upper portion of the spindle 10 is screw threaded to receive the knurled nut 28 which is arranged to jam the bushing on the seat 19, so that the bushing will be fixed thereto.

29 is a screw in the upper end of the spindle 10 to retain the knurled nut 28 on the end of the spindle.

Loosely ournaled in the upper and lower plates of the marking drum 12 are the rollers 30 and 31. The upper end of the roller 30 is provided with a pinion 32 which is in mesh with the gear wheel 23. The lower end of the roller 30 is provided with a ratchet wheel 33 which is arranged to be engaged by the spring pressed pawls 34 to prevent the roller 30 from moving in one direction. The outer face of the roller 30 is provided with a rubber or other suitable covering 35 to positively feed the paper passing between the rollers 30 and 31. Adjustably mounted on the lower end of the spindle 10 is an arm 36, and mounted on the outer end of this arm 36 on a spindle 37 is a drum 38 which is arranged to receive a coil of paper 39, this paper passing from the drum 38 to the marking drum between the guide rollers 40 and 41, the paper passing partially around the marking drum, then over a guide roller 42 on the marking drum, and then between the rollers 30 and 31, from which point it extends to a take-up roller 43 journaled on the end of an arm 44 which is connected to the main supporting frame 2. This take-up drum may be driven in any desired manner to wind up the strip of paper as it is fed from the marking drum.

The'guide rollers 41 and 42 are journaled on pins extending between the upper and lower plates of the marking drum. The

- guide roller 40 is journaled on a pin, the

upper end thereof being swiveled in a bracket 40 mounted on the top plate of the marking drum,'the lower end being held by means of a spring pressed catch 45 to permit the roller to be sprung outwardly when placing the paper on the winding drum.

The lower plate of the marking drum is grooved and is provided with a cord 46, one end of which is attached to the drum, while the other end is attached to one of the drums of the reducing gearing when it is desired to indicate the pressure of the steam in a cylinder in which the piston has a comparatively long stroke. When it is desired to indicate the pressure of a cylinder having a comparatively short stroke, the cord 46 is run out through a guide 47 and is connected directly to the cross-head of the engine, so that the marking drum will be actuated directly instead of through the reducing gearing hereinbefore mentioned.

Extending upwardly from the supporting frame 2 in line with the pressure cylinder 3 a boss 48; and rotatably mounted on the upper end of this boss is a ring 49, which is held in place by means of a nut 50 having a screw threaded engagement with the interior of the boss. Pivotally mounted between the projections 51 on the ring 49 is a rockarm 52, and pivotally connected to the other end of this rock-arm 52 is a lever 53, the outer end of which is provided with a marking device 54, which is arranged to be moved across the sheet on the marking drum in a line parallel with the axis thereof by means of the pressure in the cylinder 3 acting upon the piston 55 to move it in one direction, and by means of the spring 56 in the other direction against the pressure in the cylinder.

57 is a bracket which is mounted on the supporting frame 2 and is provided wit-h an upwardly extending projection 58.

59 is a solenoid having a hollow core 60 extending rearwardly through the projection 58, and 61 is a nut on the end of the core.

62 is a key on the core 60 which is seated in a key slot 63 in the projection 58 to prevent the rotation of the core with relation to the nut and projection.

64 is a coil spring surrounding the core and seated between the projection 58 and the solenoid, and which normally tends to hold the solenoid away from the projection.

65 is the armature of the solenoid within the core thereof, and provided with a head 66 and a forwardly project-ing member 67, which is slotted to receive the end of an arm 68 extending from the ring 49, and pivoted thereto.

69 is a coil spring within the core of the solenoid, engaging a seat at the bottom of the bore of the core, and the end of the armature 65.

7 O are screws passing through orifices in the head 66 and seated in screw threaded orifices in the shell surrounding the solenoid. These recesses are arranged to limit the outward movement of the armature 66.

71 and 72 are the terminals of the sole noid which may be connected to any suitable source of electrical energy.

When the circuit is closed, the solenoid is energized to attract the armature and rotate the ring 49, together with the marking device toward the sheet of paper on the marking drum; and when the circuit is broken, the spring 69 will move the armature outward and reverse the movement of the ring and withdraw the marker from the sheet. By adjusting the nut 61, the position of the solenoid 59 can be shifted so as to regulate the pressure of the marking device on the sheet on the marking drum.

Extending outward from the ring 49 is an arm 73, the lower end of which is provided with a cam 74; and pivotally connected to the supporting frame 2, is a spring pressed dog 75, which is arranged to engage the cam face 74: to form a stop for the ring 4:9. This stop may be adjusted by means of a screw 76 engaging the heel ofthe dog to limit the movement of the mark ing device when moved away from the sheet on the drum.

WVhen it is desired to actuate the marking device by hand, the arm 68 is disconnected from the armature, and the screw 76 is moved inwardly to release the dog from the cam 74. The ring 49, together with the marking device is then moved by means of a handle 77 connected to an extension from the ring 49, which handle is provided with a screw which can be moved inwardly to engage a stop 78 to limit the movement of the marking device toward the sheet on the drawing.

79 designates an adjustable marking device for marking the last line for the diagram.

80 is a spring tension device in engagement with the coil of paper 39 on the drum 38.

When it is desired to make a continuous diagram, the paper is passed over the drum as heretofore described, and the nut 28 is moved downwardly so as to connect the sleeve 20 to the spindle 10, so that the drum will be moved with relation to the sleeve. The cord is then connected to the crosshead of the engine, and in its movement in one direction, the drum will be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4. During the return stroke of the cross-head, the drum will be moved in the opposite direction by means of the spring 14:. As soon as the cord has been connected to the engine, the marking device is moved against the sheet, either by means of the solenoid, or by hand, to trace the diagram on the sheet indicating the pressure of the steam in the cylinder at various points of the stroke. During the forward movement of the drum, the clutch members 25 will engage the annular flange 24 of the gear wheel 23 and hold the gear wheel from rotation, and the movement of the drum will move the pinion 32 around the periphery of the gear wheel 23 which will rotate the rollers 30 and 31 and feed the paper forward. On the return movement of the marking drum, the clutch members 25 will be released, due to the cut away portions 27 on the head 21, which will permit the gear wheel 23 to move with the drum 2. On the next stroke of the engine, the operation will be repeated, the length of the diagram being determined by the movement of the drum and the ratio between the gear wheel 23 and the pinion 32. If it is desired to make a single sheet diagram, the nut 28 is released, which will permit the gear wheel 23, the sleeve 20 and the clutch members 25 to be moved with the drum in both directions.

The advantages of my invention result from the provision of a marking drum over which the continuous sheet is fed, in combination with sheet feeding mechanism actuated by the movement of said drum and which is arranged to feed the same amount of paper for each stroke of the engine. Another advantage results from the provision of means whereby the feeding mechanism is carried directly by the drum, together with means which are arranged to engage or disengage I the feeding mechanism actuating devices. A still further advantage results from the provision of means for throwing the marking device into engagement with the diagram sheet by means of an electric current, together with means for adjusting said device to vary the pressure of the marking device upon the diagram sheet.

By the arrangement just described, I am enabled to use a sheet which is drawn from a roll of considerable size, and which can be drawn directly from the marking drum, so that the sheet can be moved from the indicating device without stopping the indicator, or can also be wound up by an auxiliary winder actuated in any suitable manner.

I claim:

1. An engine indicator having a drumarranged to carry a strip of paper thereover, means to oscillate said drum, and feeding mechanism actuated by the movement of the drum to feed the strip of paper over the drum; substantially as described.

2. An engine indicator having a drum arranged to carry a strip of paper, means to oscillate said drum, and feeding mechanism actuated by the movement of the drum in one direction to feed the strip of paper over the drum; substantially as described.

3. An engine indicator having a drum arranged to carry a strip of paper thereover, means to oscillate said drum, and feeding means carried by the drum and arranged to be actuated by the movement of the drum to feed the strip of paper over the drum; substantially as described.

4. An engine indicator having a drum arranged to carry a strip of paper thereover, means to oscillate said drum, and feeding means carried by the drum and arranged to be actuated by the movement of the drum in one direction to feed the strip of paper over the drum; substantially as described.

5. An engine indicator having a drum arranged to carry a strip of paper thereover, a paper feeding roller carried by the drum, means to oscillate said drum, and means actuated by the movement of the drum to rotate said roller to feed the strip of paper over the drum; substantially as described.

6. An engine indicator having a drum arranged to carry a strip of paper thereover, a paper feeding roller carried by the drum, means to oscillate said drum, and means actuated by the movement of the drum in one direction to rotate said roller to feed the strip of paper over the drum; substantially as described.

7. An engine indicator having a drum arranged to carry a strip of paper, a spindle on which the drum is rotatably mounted, a feeding roller, a gear wheel mounted on the spindle, a pinion mounted on the feeding roller, and a clutch arranged to rotate the gear wheel when the drum is moved in one direction and to hold it stationary when moved in the opposite direction to thereby actuate the feeding roll only when the drum is moved in one direction; substantially as described.

8. An engine indicator having a drum arranged to carry a strip of paper, a spindle on which the drum is rotatably mounted, a feeding roller, a gear wheel mounted on the spindle, a pinion mounted on the feeding roller, a clutch arranged to hold the gear wheel when the drum is moved in one direc tion to actuate the feeding roll when the drum is moved, and means to retain the feeding roll from moving in the reverse direction; substantially as described.

9. An engine indicator having a drum, a stationary spindle 011 which the drum is rotatably mounted, a gear wheel. mounted on said spindle, a paper feeding roller mounted on the drum, a pinion on the feeding roller in mesh with the gear wheel, and clutch mechanism between the gear wheel and the drum arranged to hold the gear wheel stationary when the drum is movedin one direction to actuate the feeding roll; substantially as described.

10. .An engine indicator, comprising a marking drum, a spindle on which the drum is rotatably mounted, a sleeve mounted on said spindle, a gear wheel mounted on said spindle, clutch members between the sleeve and gear wheel, a feed roll mounted on said drum, a pinion on the roll in mesh with the gear wheel, and means to connect and disconnect the sleeve from the spindle; substantially as described.

11. An engine indicator having a marking drum, a plurality of guiding rollers for guiding paper on the drum, one of said rollers being arranged to be swung on an axes at an angle to the aXis of its rotation to permit the paper to be placed on the drum; substantially as described.

12. An engine indicator having a marking drum, a roller adapted to hold a coil of paper, the drum being arranged to receive the strip of paper from the coil, means to mark diagrams on said strip indicating the pressure of the steam in a cylinder, and means on the marking drum for feeding the paper; substantially as described.

13. An engine indicator having a drum arranged to receive the paper on which the diagrams are to be marked, a marking device, electromechanically actuated means for moving the marking device toward the paper, and means for adjusting the electromechanically actuated means toward and from the marking drum; substantially as described.

1-fl-. An engine indicator having a drum arranged to receive the paper on which the diagrams are to be marked, means to move the drum, a marking device, a solenoid for moving the marking device toward the paper, and means for adjusting the position of the solenoid with relation to the marking drum; substantially as described.

15. An engine indicator having a drum arranged to receive the paper on which the diagrams are to be marked, means to move the paper, a marking device, a solenoid, an armature connected to the marking devices arranged to be actuated by the solenoid to move the marking device toward the paper, and means for simultaneously adjusting the solenoid and the armature toward and from the paper; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM L. TRILL. Witnesses:

GERRY T. KINOAID, BLAINE KINOAID.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

